Ducks still seeking .500 season with two games remaining
It’ll be one last migration for the flock as the Ducks wrap up their campaign with away games against the Minnesota Wild Tuesday and Winnipeg Jets Wednesday that will give them the opportunity to finish .500 for the first time since 2018.
Minnesota was locked into a three-way conflict for the two wild-card spots in the West with surging St. Louis and resilient Calgary. While the Wild appeared in sound position to qualify, the question of their first-round opponent also remained undecided between Vegas and Winnipeg. The Jets are locked into the very highest playoff perch, having already clinched not only the No. 1 seed but home ice throughout the playoffs by virtue of securing the Presidents’ Trophy.
For the Wild, the return of top weapon Kirill Kaprizov and No.1 center Joel Eriksson Ek has seen them produce six goals and eight points in three games so far. The Jets have gone in the other direction, losing two key forwards to fluke injuries in Gabriel Vilardi (hit in the head with a puck) and Nikolaj Ehlers (accidentally skated into a referee).
“I don’t know what they’re gonna do. I’m imagining Minnesota just got some guys back and they’ll want to play them. It’s going to be a different game,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said.
“Winnipeg’s got a prideful team and they all want to get momentum going into the playoffs. We’ve got to play the right way, it’s as simple as that.”
Speaking of pride, or perhaps a lack thereof, the Ducks’ last game left a sour taste in their mouths, particularly Cronin’s, who was as disappointed after a loss as he has been in two seasons with plenty of them for the rebuilding Ducks.
They let a Colorado Avalanche club –– one that was missing half its skaters and had played the afternoon prior, losing 5-4 to the Kings –– score four unanswered goals in under 10 minutes, downgrading a two-goal lead to a two-goal loss.
Mason McTavish opened the scoring in that game and he has been a driver for the Ducks in the second half of the season. McTavish sat sixth in scoring among the players on what was statistically the NHL’s worst offense on Jan. 14, situated just below Cutter Gauthier and right above Leo Carlsson.
Since Jan. 15, McTavish, Carlsson and Gauthier have placed Nos. 1, 2, 3 on the team scoring leaderboard. McTavish has 33 points in 36 games, and his -6 rating turned into a +7 over that span.
“He’s been our best player in that streak there where he was like a point-a-game guy,” Cronin said. “There’s a bright future for him, like all these kids, they gotta learn to play the right way all the time. Mac’s been a catalyst for our offense (during the second half).”
McTavish is in a contract year, with restricted free agency –– but no arbitration rights –– approaching on July 1. The last players in that position were Trevor Zegras and former Duck Jamie Drysdale, both of whom had protracted negotiations and signed three-year pacts that would leave them as RFAs when they expired. McTavish might be making a case for a deeper commitment than that from the Ducks and GM Pat Verbeek.
“I definitely wasn’t the player I wanted to be at the start of the season. I worked on my game a lot during the start of the year,” McTavish said, crediting his linemates as well. “I’m a younger guy and I just keep growing into my game. I think it was a slow start and a better finish, and that’s kind of the way I want to play.”